I'm making tamales for a party. I want to have a veggie option but want to do something more modern then the usual chiles+cheese.

I'm thinking something with greens in it perhaps. I have a favorite way of preparing Swiss Chard (http://www.epicurious.com...) also with Kalamatas but I wonder if that would be too dry in a tamale.

rapearson
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10 Comments

Anitalectric February 20, 2012
(Not tamales, but still Mexican.)
 
Anitalectric February 20, 2012
My favorite is chiles en nogada. The version I do is roasted poblanos stuffed with marinated portabellos and cashew ricotta, breadcrumb-coated and baked. Then you smother them in a creamy walnut sauce.
 
amysarah February 15, 2012
We have a close friend from Guatemala, and for many years, every Christmas Eve she makes tamales for all her friends. Really a labor of love.

They're different than Mexican - wrapped in plantain leaves, not corn husks. One type she always makes are filled with chicken/peppers in an ancho-ish red sauce... but the other is filled with green olives, raisins, nuts, spices, etc. Very traditional from what I gather, so there must be recipes online. Not overly sweet or dessert-like. Seems like even if there were stock in the traditional sauce, you could adapt it to be vegetarian.
 
ChefJune February 15, 2012
My all-time favorite tamale filling is braised bitter greens. I first ate that kind of tamale (actually, a tamalito) from a seller in the Xochimilco market. His were filled with quelites, greens that are indigenous to that area. If I were making tamales, I'd use a combination of Swiss Chard and broccoli rabe to approximate the flavor.
 
Dona February 15, 2012
http://www.hotdamntamales.com/
Scroll down to read about their veggie options, great ideas for interesting tamales.
 
rapearson February 15, 2012
These are all making me hungry! I'll have to try a few of these fillings on Friday when we make the tamales.
 
msigur February 15, 2012
I'm partial to jalapeno and cream cheese tamales
 
dymnyno February 15, 2012
Mushroom and rice
 
nutrition B. February 15, 2012
Spinach ,cheese with tomate and cilantro. mmm.
 
Miranda R. February 15, 2012
I doubt it would be too dry, but depending on the them of the party etc, it might not be what the vegetarians at the party want to eat. If it's a mexican themed dinner I would try to keep the flavors at least somewhat within that palate. These Squash, black bean and goat cheese ones sound pretty good!
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/squash_black_bean_goat_cheese_tamales.html

or these bean-y ones from The Kitchn, which are actually vegan :
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-vegan-corn-tamales-85314
 
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